Light and Darkness
by GunSniper64
Summary: Dedicated to Jameis. When Van is injured in a battle, Raven nurses him back to health with alterior motives in mind. But will the two form a bond and possible romance the longer they are near one another?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This story was a prompt giving to me by Jameis. It's my first time writing Van/Raven, and I tried to keep them as in-character as possible. Please feel free to review! I own nothing.**

**Chapter One**

"I'm getting tired of this shit!"

"Van, calm down. It's only been half an hour."

"You don't get it Fi, I'm tired of being the only one out to take care of sleeper zoids when I should be doing some high-top, high-class secret Guardian Force shit! Besides, where's Thomas? He was supposed to back me up by now!"

"Thomas sent us a message saying he would be a little late. Herman has him running an errand to New Helic City."

"He's probably getting all the attention and praise from the Madame President while I'm out here fending off some stray zoids," Van huffed as he leapt the Blade Liger far into the sky to land down on a Hel Cat, cracking its machinery and snapping its control systems. Van jumped off the Cat, and raced around to begin firing at a Command Wolf.

"Van, that's not very fair," Fiona frowned. "Thomas is a hard-worker, and if he could be here to help, I know he would be!"

"The only reason that idiot would be here would be if you were in danger. I don't know why you don't just tell him upfront how you feel," Van whined as he blasted the Command Wolf just in time for four more to surround him and commence firing.

"Because maybe I don't want to let him go," Fiona pouted. "Thomas is a gentleman, and he treats me far better than you do half the time."

"What's that supposed to -" Van was cut off as the zoids started firing on him.

"Fiona, hold on!" he shouted as he tried to fire open a hole in the surrounding.

"Van, we can't get through!" Fiona replied as a second brigade of zoids surrounded the first circle, all firing at the Blade Liger. "Van, we're taking on heavy damage!"

"Zeke, get us out of here!" Van shouted.

Zeke grumbled in response; "What do you mean you can't get us out?" Zeke grumbled again, and Van cursed.

"Zeke, take Fiona out of here!"

"Van, no! You need Zeke's help -"

"Zeke, get her out of here!" Van shouted as warnings started flashing on the Blade Liger's control system.

"Van, this is ridiculous, you can't - "

She was cut off as Zeke took her and blasted out of the zoid.

'How are these sleepers so powerful?' Van thought as he leapt the Liger high in the air in an attempt to escape. However, a powerful shot from a GunSniper froze the Liger's controls, sending the zoid crashing to the ground. As Van hit the ground screaming, the zoids continued to fire at the Liger, causing the controls system to catch on fire. Van struggled to free himself from the cockpit, but as he pushed at the ceiling, the cockpit wouldn't open. He knew Zeke wouldn't have left the Liger unless the situation was dire, and as much as he had hated to use it, Van had needed to use his master-sense against Zeke. Organoids were naturally born to serve a master, and since Van had befriended Zeke and awakened him, Van was, in an Ancient Zoidian sense, Zeke's master.

"Zeke!" he called out, but his voice came out in a cough as smoke filled the cockpit. "Zeke!" he tried again. As a Command Wolf began stomping on the Liger's side, Van tried one last time to push on the cockpit before an electrical shock from the Command Wolf surged through him, causing him to scream.

As Van drifted off into unconsciousness, he heard Fiona's scream.

* * *

Van could hear the faint sound of rushing water from somewhere below him.

'What happened to me?'

He could vaguely remember being surrounded by a gang of powerful sleeper zoids when he had heard Fiona's scream.

"Fiona?" Van asked as he struggled to open his eyes.

"Fiona this, Fiona that. Whenever I see you, you're always going on and on about that Zoidian. I don't get what's so special about her."

Van opened his eyes and found himself lying on a cot in a small cave, most likely dug into the side of a cliffside. Inside the cave there was a lantern hanging on the wall, a box of medical supplies and food, and another cot on which a shadowed boy sat.

"Raven?" Van asked as he tried to sit up.

"Don't bother getting up. Those sleeper zoids not only shocked you, they bruised a couple of your ribs and forced you to sprain your right wrist. You need time to heal."

Van subconsciously tried rotating his wrist only to meet a horrible sense of pain. Gritting his teeth, he moved his left hand to his waist, and realized his knife was missing.

"You took my weapons, I see."

"Of course. I may have saved your life, but I'm no soft idiot like some of your friends."

"_You_ saved _my_ life?" Van asked as he propped himself onto his elbows. This was the first time he had seen Raven in months, and to be honest, the boy looked different. Examining the dark-haired man, Van saw that Raven had grown a lot in the last few months. His voice had gotten even deeper, his eyes had a different shine to them, and his body...

Raven interrupted Van's musings by taking a swig from some kind of dark liquid and nodding. "You were outnumbered badly."

"I've been against worse before," Van smirked.

Raven raised an eyebrow but said nothing as he straightened up. "They were obviously being controlled by someone. Hiltz?"

"Maybe. His organoid Ambient certainly has the capability to control that many zoids. I should phone in to Herman."

"No can do, Van. I don't have a radio, and you know as well as I do that Herman would send his men in to arrest me on the spot and I don't look good in those prison jumpsuits."

"You still haven't told me how and why you rescued me," Van reminded him.

Raven smirked as he reached into his medical container and took out a roll of bandages and a pill.

"Take the pill for the pain, and remove your shirt."

"Wow Raven, I didn't know you were into that kind of kinky stuff," Van smirked.

Van thought he saw a faint blush on the man's face as Raven shook his head and kneeled beside Van.

"The pill is for the pain, and I need to redo your bandages. I'll explain everything as I fix you up."

"Why should I trust you? You've tried to kill me on several occasions, remember?" Van quipped.

"If I wanted you dead, I would have let those sleeper zoids kill you, or I would have thrown you into the river while you were unconscious," Raven replied.

Van took the pill and a small cup of water from his supposed rival and downed both in a single gulp.

"Feel better?" Raven asked, his shining lavender-purple eyes sparkling slightly.

"Yeah, actually," Van rotated his wrist slightly before swinging at Raven. However, the boy caught his fist before it collided with his face, and the two of them glared at each other for a few seconds as Raven held the boy's fist in his own. Van's face contorted in pain as Raven squeezed slightly, causing a wave of anguish to travel through Van's injured wrist. Raven gently pushed back on the other boy's arm, not letting go even as Van lowered his arm to his side. Their eyes never left each other's.

"Van, you're hurt, and until you are 100% better, I cannot let you out of my sight. Your organoid and Fiona are fine, and I'm guessing when they regain consciousness they will be on their way to the nearest base. They'll probably start a search party out for you, but I know you, Van. You don't want to return to a base where you can sit around being used by other people all day. You want to find the person who attacked you, and to be honest, so do I. Why don't we form a temporary alliance, Van?"

"What's in it for you?"

Raven smirked as he let go of Van's hand and leaned back on his haunches.

"Whoever attacked you, whether it's Hiltz or not, has a great deal of power over zoids. If I can obtain his organoid for myself, or whatever his power source is, then I will have the power in these parts, and everything will go back to the way it was."

"Way it was?" Van ventured as he stifled a yawn. The drugs were making him sleepy.

"When you were the most renowned and respected military hero in all of Planet Zi, and I was your Number One Enemy."

"You're power-hungry, Raven. You always were."

"You're wrong, Van," the boy whispered as he moved to lift Van's shirt up slightly to reveal the blood-stained bandages. "Our rivalry was never just about power."

Raven watched as Van drifted off to sleep. Raven tenderly peeled off a few of the old bandages, trying not to marvel at Van's abs. They were the same age, had experienced relatively the same training, yet Raven could simply not figure out how Van had such a better-built body than him. Van had a six-pack going for him, whereas Raven still had some of his baby-fat. It simply wasn't fair.

Van had everything Raven wanted.

Van had grown up with a family and a town who loved him and cared for him. Van had friends and a permanent home he could always return to.

The only two things Van and Raven had equally were organoids that truly cared about them, and saw them as more than simple masters...it was a fact that took Raven a long time to learn.

Re-bandaging Van was easy, but the emotional toll was what was killing Raven. When he had been patrolling through the area with Shadow, looking for some poor pathetic soul to rob or something, the last thing Raven had expected was to stumble upon Raven's Blade Liger being ambushed. As soon as Raven had appeared at the scene, however, the sleeper zoids had all took off in flight, as if they were afraid of the boy. Raven had driven his Genosaurer down to where the Blade Liger lay, and examined the damage. Van's organoid and Fiona were lying unconscious about a mile from the Blade Liger, but Raven didn't care about them. They were of no use to him. Allowing Shadow to briefly take control of Van's Blade Liger, the black organoid popped open Van's cockpit. As Van's body had fallen out of the zoid, Raven had easily caught him and carried him away in the Genosaurer.

_'I should be able to get a nice ransom for Van's body and still be able to figure out who was behind this sleeper attack,'_ Raven thought with a smile as he finished Van's wrappings. Sitting back, Raven took a closer look at his sleeping enemy.

The Guardian Force had truly done wonders for Van's body, and Raven couldn't help but feel jealous.

A quiet rawr at the entrance of the cave led Raven to wave a hand in greeting.

"Hey, Shadow."

The organoid moved over to stand beside Raven. Slowly the organoid moved down to sniff Van's body before rearing back and growling.

"Relax Shadow. He's too badly hurt to do anything to try and escape. We've got him right where we need him."

Shadow growled again and moved over to snack on some fruit in the corner of the cave while regarding Raven and Van warily.

Raven lowered the boy's shirt and watched Van's face for signs of movement.

"The greatest hero on Planet Zi, and he's sleeping like a baby."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

When Van opened his eyes, he found that he was lying on the cot, but the cave was empty. Slowly he rose himself up to a sitting position, but instantly had to cup his side in pain. Looking down and slowly removing the bandages, he saw a nasty scar from where the controls system had cut him stretching across his ribcage, where deep bruises lay underneath his skin. Gently touching his ribs and spazzing at the pain, Van took the time to look more closely at his surroundings after he redid the bandages. Raven had left a pill next to his cot for him to take, and a fresh piece of bread for dinner. Quickly devouring the bread and pill, Van raised his left hand to the cave wall and slowly began his journey to stand up. When he finally made it to his feet, Van took a few uneasy steps towards the entrance of the cave. Peering out over the side, Van saw a river rushing by, making him dizzy. Leaning heavily against the wall of the cave, Van turned around and slowly began walking towards the supplies box Raven had stashed against the wall of the cave. Kneeling down beside the box and fighting against his protesting ribs, Van opened the box and searched inside. Nothing except some bullets and a flare gun were found inside.

_'He must have my knife on him,'_ Van thought to himself.

Sure enough, his question was answered when a voice laughed, "If you're looking for your precious knife, you won't find it in there. I made sure to keep it in a safe location far away from your able reach."

Van turned his body to see Raven standing in the entranceway of the cave. Behind him, Shadow hovered in the air.

"Raven, I want you to -" Van was cut off as suddenly he got a terrible migraine.

As Van collapsed to his knees, holding his head and gritting his teeth, Raven tutt-ed and walked forward, remarking, "Those pills are designed to keep you under my control. If you should act out in unquestionable ways, I can cause the pain to flow fresh through your body as if you were being electrocuted all over again."

"That's barbaric!"

"That's life," Raven quipped.

"Who gave you these?"

"Pills I stole from Prozen's place before he was defeated. I've been saving them up for a special occasion."

"You're a monster, Raven. You were always a cold-hearted bastard, and now you'll get what's coming to you!"

Van's eyes locked with Raven's, and the criminal was surprised at the level of hatred in Van's eyes.

"Do you really hate me that much, Van?"

The question caught the hero off-guard and he looked down at his hands. Raven nodded and moved to kneel before Van.

"Well? Do you hate me?"

"I hated Prozen and everything that dealt with him...I hated people who thought the Empire and the Republic should forever be at war with one another...and for a time, I even hated myself...but I can't hate someone who doesn't know what their heart truly wants."

Van looked up and his eyes met Raven's as he whispered, "You're feelings are conflicted, Raven. You don't know what you want or what side you want to be on. You're angry, and have every right to feel that way. But most of all you're weak."

Raven lashed out against Van, smacking him across the face. As stars flashed before Van's eyes, Raven's body shook with rage.

"You don't know anything about me!" Raven shouted at the boy.

Van struggled to regain his composure as he looked up into Raven's eyes.

"Do I know nothing, or do I know too much?"

Raven slapped him again in the opposite direction, causing Shadow to chuckle as Van hit the ground. Raven roughly picked the boy up by the front of his shirt and looked deep into his eyes.

"You don't know a damn thing about me," Raven hissed.

Van simply looked into Raven's cold, heartless eyes and saw a mixture of fear, anger, and rejection there.

"You're wrong, Raven...I do know about you. And I know you want happiness."

Raven raised his hand to strike Van a third time, but something in his opponent's eyes made him falter and hit the ground instead.

"You don't know anything about what happiness means to me," Raven whispered, but his voice was filled with sadness instead of anger.

Van felt something in his heart tug at the lonely expression on Raven's face. He was just about to comment when Raven suddenly threw Van against the floor and trudged out to the entrance of the cave.

"I'm going out for a run with the Genosaurer with Shadow. I'll be back in a few hours."

Van watched as the boy and organoid disappeared while he crawled over to his cot and slumped down on the material.

It was time for another nap.

* * *

Raven sent the Genosaurer into full speed as he put as much distance between himself and the cave as possible. When he was sure nobody was following him, Raven locked the Genosaurer into the ground and opened his signature attack on a local farm house. Watching the locals run out screaming with all of their family members and prized possessions in tow left Raven with a sense of purpose as he half-smirked to himself. This was his purpose in life - he had been raised by Prozen to be a machine, and that was what he was on Planet Zi to do. To destroy.

He was a destruction machine.

Shadow growled softly, but even his precious organoid's affection couldn't comfort Raven at the thought of his own existence. There had to be another reason as to why he was on this planet. A part of him deep down knew that he wasn't supposed to be a machine forever, but he didn't know what his true purpose was.

As he watched the farmhouse burn, Raven thought back to his conversation with Van. What if Van had been right? What if there was a way for Raven to achieve happiness? But how could a weapon of destruction like him ever hope to find happiness? Raven turned the Genosaurer around and quickly sped off, deep in thought.

The more he thought however, the more pissed off he got. He was angry, that was true; he was angry at Prozen for turning him into the machine he was, he was angry at Ambient for murdering his parents, he was angry at Prozen for sending troops to kill Van's father, the man who had taken care of him when nobody else would, and he was angry at Van for being the hero. Raven gave a war cry and shot another electromagnetic shot into the air, firing at everything and nothing in sight. As the shot died down, and Shadow growled again, Raven gave a heavy breath and sighed.

He needed another talk with Van.

Van awoke and saw that it was growing dark outside. Soon the stars would be out, and another double-moon night would be upon him. Van loved watching the stars at night; they had always comforted him and reminded him that somewhere up above, his father was looking down over him...keeping him safe. The thought made Van smile. He had hardly known his dad in person, but the memories that others, such as Colonel Krueger and Maria, had shared with Van made him feel like he knew him on the battlefield as well. Everyone always told him he had his father's looks and spirit.

Grinning, Van rolled onto his side, ignoring the pain from his ribs, and looked at the supply kit. He had to get out of there, but with his injuries, he knew that even if he did make it to steady ground, he would be in no condition to make it to a base, let alone to the nearest village. Perhaps if he could use the flare gun when a patrol was out and about, he would be able to attract attention. But with the Genosaurer still in Raven's possession, no patrol team would be able to withstand the zoid's special attack. Van reached for the supply kit, but his fingers ached in protest.

"Come on baby," Van whispered as he reached for the handle of the box. "Come on..."

Van's attempts were interrupted as he heard Shadow descending to the cave's entrance.

Raven climbed out of his Genosaurer and allowed Shadow to pilot him to the cave's entrance. He had a secret zoid hanger built into the side of the cliff in which he stashed the Genosaurer. As Raven's feet stepped out onto the cave's entranceway, Raven looked immediately to where Van lay sleeping. Slowly Raven walked over and leaned over Van's body.

Gently Raven kicked Van's leg.

"I know you're awake, so you might as well open your eyes."

Van didn't budge and Raven sighed.

"So you're going to play it that way, hm?"

Van didn't move and Raven nodded to Shadow. The organoid chuckled as he lifted up a bucket from inside the cave and disappeared from sight. It only took about a minute for the organoid to fill up the bucket with water from the river before arriving back in the cave. As Raven took a step back, Shadow dumped the bucket of water onto Van.

Spluttering and cursing sharply, Van sat up and instantly began shivering.

"What the hell was that for?"

"You wouldn't listen to me," Raven shrugged nonchalantly as he tried not to smirk.

Shadow, on the other hand, was not as shy with his feelings, and openly laughed at Van's misfortune. Van shot the organoid a death glare as Raven tossed him a cape.

"Here, dry yourself off. We need to talk."

Van shakily took the cape and tied it around his shoulders, surprised at the way it gave off Raven's scent.

"W-what about?"

"What you were saying before...about my...happiness."

"What about it?"

Raven took a breath and looked into Van's eyes.

"How can I obtain it?"

There was a brief silence in which Van just stared like a fish at Raven. Van was so confused, what did Raven mean?

"Raven - "

"Look, I know this is a stupid question, and I know you're probably going to mock me, but you don't get it Van! You have everything! Everything I have ever wanted, you have. You have the wonderful lover who is always there for you, you have the home and warm family and supportive friends, you have the perfect zoid, and everyone loves you! You're so happy...it disgusts me. I have never found happiness like yours before, and I want my share. It's not fair! We're the _same_!"

Raven breathed heavily as he realized his face was only inches away from Van's, and that he was clutching the boy's shirt. Van just stared at him, completely shocked and confused.

Slowly Van opened his mouth a couple times before finally managing, "First off, I don't have the wonderful lover. Fiona is **not** my lover. She's like a sister to me, but that's all."

"Out of all of that...**that** is what you got out of it?" Raven couldn't believe his ears...but he also couldn't push aside the relieved feeling at knowing Fiona and Van weren't an item.

"I wasn't finished," Van smirked as he pulled himself up into a complete sitting position, shaking off Raven's grip and leaning against the wall. Once he was fully settled, Van met Raven's gaze.

"Secondly, we are not the same. We're built differently, come from different backgrounds, and even our beliefs in what zoids should be used for differs."

"I knew your father," Raven blurted out after a quiet moment.

"W-what?" Van asked, completely taken off guard.

"He took me in under his wing when Ambient killed my parents. He was going to introduce us, but he was killed by Prozen's soldiers before he could. Prozen found me and took me in after that. I was scared and confused...and a part of me still believes it was my fault your father died. He refused to give me up...it was my fault, Van."

"You're...you're lying," Van stuttered, not being able to believe what his ears were telling him. Raven's story was a lie...it couldn't be true.

"It's true, I swear it! Your dad is dead, and it's all my fault!" Raven shouted, his eyes swelling up with tears.

What happened next was all a blur.

Van swung at Raven and as his fist made contact, Van continued to punch Raven in the face, despite the pain in his wrist and ribs, knocking the boy to the ground. Shadow growled and leapt forward, but Raven shouted, "No Shadow!" and the organoid halted just in time for Van to straddle Raven on the ground.

Van gripped Raven's shirt around the collar and lifted the boy up as far as he could considering he was straddling Raven and shouted, "How dare you talk about my father!"

"He was like a father to me too Van, and it's all my fault!"

"You're lying!"

"AM I?"

There was a deadly silence as Van searched Raven's eyes for the truth...

...And found it there.

Slowly Van let Raven's head fall back against the ground as the two breathed heavily. Van's eyes moved from away from Raven back to the boy and away again, trying to take everything in.

"Why didn't you ever tell me you knew my father? Why didn't any of the others ever tell me the truth?" Van whispered, his voice coming out weak and questionable.

"They probably kept it from you for your own benefit. I wanted to tell you sooner, but the time never seemed right. Van...I'm sorry."

Van clenched his fists in Raven's shirt and tried to keep the tears from spilling over.

"Why? Why did he take you in?"

Van's whole body began to shake. Not knowing what else to do, Raven reached for Van's shoulder and gently gripped it. Van moved to shake it off, but something in Raven's eyes made him pause. Van suddenly felt the oddest feeling. Looking deep into Raven's eyes, he felt like everything was falling into place. The true cause of his father's death, why he had always felt a powerful bond with Raven...

The two boys could have been raised together as brothers.

"Van..." Raven started, but he didn't know what to say.

In all honesty, what were they supposed to say to each other now, after all this time? After all of the battles and the wars, what were two long-lost brothers supposed to say to one another?

"I...I don't blame you for his death...no matter what you said. I blamed Prozen, not you, and I still blame Prozen alone," Van muttered after a few moments, hoping he was making the right decision. Would his dad have forgiven Raven? Yes...yes he would have.

A tremendous burden began to lift off of Raven's shoulders. Hearing Van forgive him felt like the first step towards total forgiveness. Hearing Van forgive him felt like Van's father was forgiving him.

"I was just a little boy, I was scared and alone. I would never have let them kill him if I had known -"

"I know, Raven," Van whispered softly as he brushed a stray strand of hair out of Raven's face without realizing it. "We both know."

"I may be heartless, but at the time I was young and stupid. If I could go back I would have saved him just because he was so kind -"

"Raven, it's okay."

Raven's body reacted in the strangest way. He quickly reached out, wrapped his arms around Van's body, and pulled the boy completely against him, burying his face into Van's shoulder.

Van was shocked. Raven had never before shed a single tear in front of anyone, especially Van, and now the boy was full out crying. It was as if the Raven that was currently holding Van tightly was a completely different man.

'Maybe he's been hurting for so long, and keeping the emotions bottled up for so long, that he's just ready to let it all go,' Van thought as he ran his hand through Raven's hair. Van was surprised at how soft Raven's hair was, and he found that he didn't necessarily mind the close contact. Instead, the hero chose to awkwardly pat Raven on the back as the criminal tightened his eyes to stop himself from crying.

"I should have been a hero like you."

"Nonsense. Raven you have to stop thinking about it like that."

Van pulled back and lifted Raven's chin up to meet his.

"I'm not as much of a hero as they all say I am. And I certainly haven't been doing any work for the Guardian Force that shows I'm the Hero of Planet Zi. At the moment, I'm actually more of a lackey for the GF than a recognized hero."

Raven genuinely smiled, and the sight made something deep inside of Van catch. Raven's whole demeanor seemed to appear lighter, as if he had just received total reconciliation. His eyes even had a shine to them.

And it was in that moment that Van realized just how close he and Raven were, and their current situation.

Van could smell Raven's breath on his lips, and the thought made his pants feel tighter. Instantly Van's inner conscious began to flash warnings in his mind. This situation was too much for the boy to process at the moment, and he needed to get out of it.

_**Now**_.

Quickly his eyes shot over to where Shadow had his back turned to the two boys, giving them their privacy. Van shook his head and tried to move away from Raven, but he was prevented from escaping when Raven's grip on him tightened.

Van's eyes betrayed his fear and confusion when he looked into Raven's lustful eyes. Wait..._lustful_ eyes?

Van knew he was in trouble as he tried to move away but was pinned down by Raven. As Raven overpowered Van and pinned the hero's arms above his head, Van managed, "Raven, stop! What are you doing?"

Raven paused in his actions as his mind wheeled. What was he doing? He knew what he was doing felt right, but it felt wrong at the same time...he wanted to do this to Van, but not like this...not in these circumstances.

Raven's eyes instantly showed his guilt as he moved off of Van and walked over to stand up beside Shadow.

'_What the hell is going on with him?'_ Van shouted in his head as he just laid there in shock and confusion, trying to make all of this out.

Raven didn't say anything as Shadow engulfed him, and flew them out of the cave, leaving Van to lay there alone.

"I need to get out of here."

Raven slammed his head against the Genosaurer's leg.

"What the hell is wrong with me?" He shouted to himself.

Shadow sympathized with his master and best friend. Although Shadow knew nothing about romance or what Raven was feeling, he could tell that Raven's heart was conflicted, and that was something Shadow knew a lot about.

The organoid growled softly, taking a step towards Raven.

"Shadow, what am I doing? I thought I had this all thought out, but Van, he just...he makes me feel so confused. Like I think I want one thing one minute, but then after just a few words from him, I want something completely different. I want happiness, yes, I want love, yes, but Shadow, whose love do I want?"

"Well you did jump him back there and nearly make out with him," Shadow thought.

"But where did that come from? I mean, I was pouring my heart out to him about his dad and then I almost make out with him? Shadow...am I going insane?"

"No, Raven...you're just confused. Perhaps we should just let him go and forget about this whole thing until you know what you truly want."

"But I want him," Raven hissed as he leaned against the organoid. "I want his love."

"Why?"

"I don't know! There have just always been these strings pulling us together, and I cannot explain why. I know he feels them too...what should I do, Shadow?"

"I think you should consult a love guru about this."

Raven's body tensed as he slowly turned around and stared at Shadow in shock.

"You're saying I should get love advice...from _Stinger_?"

Van reached into his pocket and removed the knife from where he had swiped it from Raven's belt during their...episode. Van admired the craft for a quick minute before he reached into the supply case. He took out a couple flares, the flare gun, and a string of bullets, which he pocketed. Van dragged his body over to the edge of the cave and looked out. The sun had risen barely an hour ago, and his body was still sore. However, his wrist had begun to heal thanks to the pills Raven had been feeding him, and his leg only hurt when he pressed down on it. The question now was how would he make it to the ground above?

The cave had been built out about 40 feet below the surface of the cliff, and the face of the cliff was a solid sheet of rock, so there was no hope of Van rock climbing by holding onto the rugged cliff. Looking down, he saw the river, which was about 50 feet below him, rushing by him, taunting him.

"I wish Zeke were here to fly me out," Van muttered as he looked around. Suddenly he had an idea. Quickly heading back to his cot, Van picked up the sheets and fashioned an idea. He began cutting Raven's cape into strips, tying the materials to the sheets on the cot. When Van had secured the materials together, he tied one end around the width of the cot. Dragging the cot to the entranceway of the cave, Van secured the cot between the walls of the cave, so that the cot was lodged between the walls and wouldn't budge.

Van knew that the stunt he was about to do was insane, especially considering his injured state, but he knew he had to try. He wasn't sure what was going on with Raven, but if he didn't get away or at least find help, than Raven might take advantage of him, or worse...

Van tied the other end of the sheets around his waist and leaned over the edge of the cliff. Taking out his knife and gripping it in his left hand, Van dug the knife into the side of the cliff right below the entranceway. Squatting down, Van slid his legs over the side of the cliff while clutching the knife, and slowly leaned forward. He only had one clear shot, and he prayed and hoped that Raven wasn't standing at the top of the cliff waiting for the shot.

Readying the flare gun, Van stretched his arm out as far as he could, and fired two shots into the air. However, he wasn't expecting the powerful rebound of the blast on his injured body, and Van panicked as his body leaned forward too far and he slipped off the side of the cliff.

As Van's body hurtled toward the river, the sheets suddenly pulled on his body, slamming him into the side of the cliff, causing Van to cry out in pain as his bruised ribs hit the cliff.

Blinking past the stars, Van looked up and was happy to see the flares explode into fireworks of different colors.

As Van fainted into unconsciousness, he sent a prayer to his dad that someone would see the fireworks.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

When Fiona opened her eyes, she found Zeke leaning over her and gazing at her intently. Holding a hand to her head, Fiona pushed herself off of the ground and sat up. Looking around, she saw the Blade Liger's beaten down remains.

"Van!" she called out, but Zeke shook his head and growled.

"He's not around here, Fi. I don't know where he is, but he isn't here."

"We need to find him, Zeke! Can you fly me to the nearest base? We'll call Major Herman."

Zeke growled in acknowledgment and engulfed Fiona, flying her away from the Blade Liger's remains.

Stinger was surprised to get a call from Raven asking to see him immediately. Everybody of importance knew that wherever Raven went, destruction usually followed. Not taking the boy's visit as a positive start to his morning, Stinger poured himself an extra thick cup of coffee, and returned to take his seat at the bar. The two had agreed to meet at a local bar where hardly any visitors came, and were even fewer amounts left. It was a good thing Stinger had an arrangement with the bar owner or things might get ugly.

The bell above the door gave a light tinkle as the door opened and a hooded figure walked in. Stinger kept his eyes closed as he smirked and took a swig of his coffee as the figure sat down beside him.

"I'm honored that you decided to come to meet me here...you must be in a truly desperate situation to come looking for _my _aid," Stinger joked around his coffee.

"I need your advice," Raven whispered as he drew the hood closer around his face. "...It's about romance."

Stinger spluttered on his coffee, coughing loudly as he attempted to compose himself. When he had finally recovered, the thief turned and gazed at the black-haired criminal in awe.

"Is that so? Might I ask who the object of your affection is?"

"No, you may not," Raven spat as he looked around to make sure nobody was listening in on their conversation. "I just have a hypothetical scenario that needs...guidance."

"Do tell," Stinger grinned as he sat back in his chair and gave the boy his full attention.

"Alright, let's say that _hypothetically _you have this person in your life who you absolutely cannot stand, but something about them draws you to them. You want to distance yourself from them as much as possible, but something about them keeps pulling you in, and you find yourself wanting more of them...all of them. What do you do?"

"Hmm, well usually what I would do is not stop until I had gotten all of them. And I do mean _all_ of them," Stinger smirked with a wink.

"But what if they don't want to give themselves to you?"

"Then you go ahead and take them anyway."

Raven's face distorted into a look of pure disgust as he managed, "But I don't want them to be forced to do anything. I want him...I want them to succumb willingly to my desires."

"You want him...them to love you," Stinger noted.

"Yes...but how do I obtain their affection when I don't even know what _I_ truly want?"

"Well," Stinger began, stretching out his body and showing off his feminine looks. "What I would do first is bond with them. Find something you two have in common and maybe make a date out of it. You want him...them to know that you're genuinely interested in them, and that you're not just looking for the next big score."

"But we have such limited things in common," Raven sighed as he looked at the bar. "And when I told him the truth about a secret, he was emotional."

"Angry?" Stinger asked, noting the way Raven didn't even attempt to continue hiding the object of his affection's gender. Stinger was obviously gay, and he had always prided himself on having an excellent gaydar.

"At first, yeah, he was really angry...but then he grew compassionate and he held me. That's when I messed everything up and came onto him...he wasn't even expecting it! I almost took advantage of him." Raven's expression darkened and clearly showed his feelings of regret.

Stinger sympathetically put a hand on the boy's shoulder and said, "Sometimes we let our emotions get the better of us and we lash out in either sexual or emotional ways. But sometimes our body reacts in ways where it demonstrates knowing what we truly want, even before our hearts may know what they want. I wouldn't go beating yourself up for coming onto him as a bad thing when it may not necessarily be simply that. Something good may come out of it yet."

"But what should I do now? I left before I could even say I was sorry, and even if I did tell him I'm sorry, I know he'll never trust me again after that!"

"You should still talk to him about it," Stinger advised, ignoring the way Raven was sounding like a confused, angsty teenager instead of the murderer/criminal he truly was. "Just tell him how you feel. You need to open up to him if you want him to open up to you."

"How do I do that?"

"Buy him something nice, or take him somewhere special."

"Like on a date?" Raven asked skeptically.

"Yes, but nothing sappy. You're aiming for something meaningful, not something that is going to make him laugh at you."

"Alright...I think I know what to do now...thank you Stinger," Raven said awkwardly as he reached to shake the man's hand.

"Don't mention it, _criminal_," Stinger smirked as he returned the gesture.

As Raven left the bar, Stinger took out his cell phone. "Hey, Karl? It's me...want to get a drink tonight? We have a lot to talk about."

It had started out as a hopeful morning for Major Herman. He had been given an extra dose of coffee courtesy of O'Connell, there had been no reports thus far about Hiltz's actions, and all was okay at the capital. What could possibly go wrong?

"Major Herman, sir!"

"Yes, Captain Robert?"

"There are reports about an unauthorized zoid approaching the base at high speeds."

"What color?"

"Silver, sir!"

Major Herman let out a sigh of relief.

"Grant him access. He's one of ours."

As Zeke freed Fiona from inside him, the blonde ran through the open gates and collided with Thomas.

"Fi-Fiona?" The blonde man asked bewildered as he rubbed his head and helped her up.

"Thomas! You have to help us! The Liger was totaled, and Van's missing!"

"Calm down Fiona, we'll find him," Thomas said, taking her shoulders and looking into her eyes.

Fiona nodded, but she bit her lip in worry.

"Come on, I'll bring you two to Herman," Thomas said, nodding at Zeke and leading the way.

"So let me get this straight. You're telling me that our top Guardian Force soldier, and the Hero of Planet Zi no less, was kidnapped...and you left the Blade Liger behind?"

"The Liger is completely out of commission. I'm sure it's zoid core will need extensive healing with both the efforts of this base and Zeke's abilities. But Major, I'm begging you. We need to send out a search party to look for Van. He would never have left the Liger or us of his own free will!"

"Major Herman. I offer to lead the search party, sir," Thomas stepped forward.

Rob looked between the two blondes and gave a sigh. "Alright, Thomas, you will lead the party. Take both air and ground zoids with you. However, I'm going to have to ask you, Fiona, to fetch Moonbay and have her transport the Blade Liger back here. Zeke, you will heal the Liger's systems, and Fiona and Moonbay will repair the exterior damage."

"But Van -"

"Will be okay with Thomas leading the search," Rob said gently as he patted Fiona's shoulder. "It will be okay Fiona. Thomas, you know what to do."

Thomas nodded and turned to Fiona as the major left the room with his men in tow.

"Fiona, I will find Van, I promise you that."

Fiona looked up into the Lieutenant's eyes, and Thomas thought his heart would stop.

"Please find him, Thomas. It would mean so much to me."

Thomas grinned at the memory of Fiona's pleading eyes as he piloted his Dibison. Fiona had given him the coordinates of where they had left the Liger, so Thomas figured he would start looking in that area and branch out. It was still early on in the morning, but the sky was clear and promising.

Thomas was just about to radio in to his men when suddenly a loud bang sounded. Turning his zoid around and searching the skies, Thomas suddenly saw...flares?

"Men, check it out!"

"Yes, sir!"

Fiona had been watching Moonbay screw some bolts onto the Liger when suddenly she got a call on her radio.

"Fiona, it's Thomas."

"Thomas! Thank the goddesses, did you find him?"

"Yeah. He was hanging off the side of a cliff with a string of sheets tied together, holding him up. He's got some bad wounds, and when we pulled him up he was unconscious, but he's slowly coming to. Fiona, he's rambling on about how he needs to speak to Herman asap, but I don't know in his state whether he should -"

"Of course I should go talk to Herman! Fiona, are you there? Fiona!"

"Y-yes Van, it's me! I'm here," Fiona shouted excitedly as she jumped up out of her chair.

"Fiona, listen to me. Raven kidnapped me, and I need to tell Herman everything that has happened!"

"Raven? Why did he -"

"Fiona, there's more to the story. Raven, he's...he's confused. Look, I can't explain it now over radio, but will you just tell Herman to expect me?"

"Of course, Van," Fiona said, relieved that he was alive.

"Oh and Fiona?"

"Yes?"

"How are you, Zeke, and the Liger?"

"The Liger's being fixed but Zeke and I are fine."

"Good...that's really good Fi."

Fiona couldn't help but smile softly.

"I missed you Van."

"Yeah, same here. Make sure you let Herman know I'm coming to him."

"Will do, Van...will do."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

As Raven brought the Genosaurer back to his secret cave, he was shocked to find a whole fleet of zoids surrounding the cliff by both air and ground. Quickly turning the zoid around and speeding off in the opposite direction, Raven's mind was spinning.

How could Van have signaled for help? Did the Guardian Force infiltrate his base and take his items? It wasn't like he had anything of value stashed in the cave anyway, but it was the whole point of it! Now where was he to go? Raven was sure that if Van had been rescued, than he had surely ratted Raven out to the higher officials by now, which meant that there was probably a reward out for Raven's head. Where could he hide? Stinger had done his part, but he certainly wouldn't help Raven find cover.

Raven gripped the controls of his Genosaurer tightly as he clenched his teeth. What was he to do?

"Stick to the plan, Raven," Shadow growled out. "Find whoever planned the attack against Van in the first place, and take that power."

"But what if it's Ambient and Hiltz? I can't face that kind of power and destruction by myself."

"A few moments ago you believed you were a pure force of destruction, and now you're questioning that you're not destructive enough to take on Ambient and Hiltz alone?" Shadow asked. "And you're not alone, Raven. You have me."

Raven sighed as he brought up an image of where the republican zoids were inspecting his base. Focusing in on the image, Raven zoomed in until he focused in on a specific Dibison. There he saw Van leaning heavily against the zoid while a medical examiner inspected Van's wounds while Van and the blonde Lieutenant talked.

Raven found himself focusing in on Van's face and staring at his eyes.

"I need to talk to Van," Raven muttered.

"Are you crazy? He'll have you arrested and probably killed in an instant," Shadow growled.

"I know...but I need to tell him I'm sorry for almost taking advantage of him."

Shadow growled to himself but he understood in a way.

"You can do this, Raven."

Herman sat back heavily in his chair, examining Van, Fiona, and Thomas who stood before him.

"So you're telling me that Raven kidnapped you in order to help heal you so that the two of you could track down whoever ambushed you with sleeper zoids, and that I should not order a warrant for Raven's arrest because as corrupt as he may be, you intend on going back and working with him?"

Van nodded, "That's correct sir."

"But Van, he attacked you," Fiona replied worriedly.

Van's lip twitched. He had altered the story of Raven's advance on him slightly to a more masculine story in which Raven's character wouldn't be subjected to conflicting comments.

"I know that Fi, but Raven...he's confused. I don't think he knows what he wants." Van looked back at Herman. "Major Herman, I believe that if Raven and I can work together as a team to track down whoever did this to me, than I can turn him to our side. I feel that he's just a lonely guy who wants a family."

"Raven has also killed many of my men, and even tried to kill _you_ many times," Herman reminded him.

"That may be true sir, but you need to trust me...please Major."

Herman gave a sigh as he ran a hand through his hair.

"And what exactly is your plan?"

Raven watched from afar as the Republican zoids which had been hovering around his base began to move away and head back to HQ.

"It's probably a plan to capture you," Shadow remarked.

"Probably, but I want to be captured," Raven reminded him as he piloted the Genosaurer between the two cliffs and between the walls.

As the Genosaurer hovered by his hideout, Raven hopped out of the cockpit and entered his hideout.

"What took you so long?"

Raven stood shocked as his eyes roamed over Van Flyheight.

The hero sat on his cot with a knee drawn up against his chest, with his arm hanging lazily on his kneecap, while his free hand tossed a pill bottle up in the air and caught it, repeating the process as Raven stood there. The boy in question was dumbfounded.

Slowly Raven approached Van, allowing his confusion to slip in his voice, "I got caught up talking...your wounds look almost healed enough for you to walk without falling."

Van shrugged. "Not completely, but they're getting there. These pills of yours are incredible."

There was an awkward silence as Raven stood opposite the boy, trying to read Van's eyes for clues. He found none.

"What are you still doing here, Van?"

"What do you mean?" Van quipped cheerfully.

"I saw you talking to that blonde GF guy. You were carted away by Republican zoids."

"But I came back."

Raven couldn't help the way his heart seemed to skip a beat at that, or fail to notice the mischievous gleam in Van's eyes.

"Why?"

Van stopped tossing the pill bottle and held it in his fist, letting his eyes lock with Raven's.

"You said these pills have the power to make the receiver succumb to the giver's will. How come when you saw that I had escaped, you didn't make me double over in pain and then attack?"

"I couldn't do that to you."

"Why? Is it because you like me or something?"

Raven's heart hammered in his chest, but he refused to let the blush on his face show as he thought back to Stinger's words.

_"Just tell him how you feel. You need to open up to him if you want him to open up to you."_

"You're impossible," Raven said honestly as he flopped down on the ground to sit across from Van. "You're extremely stubborn, you have a horrible knack for putting friendship and the love of zoids before common logic, you're irrational, and you have this...absolutely _disgusting_ way of enticing everyone who meets you into liking you."

"Sooo...that's a yes then?" Van asked with a smirk.

Raven's eyes gave a shimmer of hopelessness as he looked down at the ground.

"I don't know how I feel about you. For so long I have absolutely hated you. I despised you and wanted nothing more than to make you watch as I took everything and everyone you loved away from you as I killed you slowly. But something's different now. Something about the way I feel about you has been changing lately the more I think about you. When we talked about your dad, something...changed. And I know you felt it too."

Raven looked back up and saw a brief look of uncertainty pass Van's face before the normal smirk returned.

"Would you wipe that stupid smirk off your face? I'm trying to talk to you!" Raven shouted, exasperated.

Slowly Van slid closer to the boy so he could look into Raven's eyes.

"What is it you want, Raven?"

Raven licked his lips, a nervous gesture, before replying slowly, "Van, if you plan on throwing me in jail for what I have done to you, I understand. But first I would like to show you something. Something that nobody has ever seen before."

"Your smile?"

Raven smirked and shook his head as he stood up.

"In all honesty, you probably don't deserve to see what I am going to show you. But I need someone to know about it before I get locked away in a cell forever, and that person might as well be you since we've had a relatively important history together."

"What is it?" Van asked hesitantly as he moved to stand up.

"You'll see when we get there. But mind you, I haven't been there in a very long time, so if at first you don't see it for its true splendor, don't judge me for it."

"I believe first appearances have taught me that what's on the outside is different than what's on the inside sometimes," Van replied with a smirk.

Van had always thought that if he ever had the chance to sit in the back of Raven's Genosaurer that he would feel incredibly out of place and anxious. Yet he couldn't help but feel slightly at peace in the zoid. The Genosaurer truly was a miraculous creation, and it had all the effects of quality mechanics. Plus the thought of going somewhere secret with Raven both excited him and made him a bit nervous. Van knew that miles away, a lone Dibison was following them, so if Raven did try to kill him, Thomas would be there instantly to save him, but nevertheless, Van felt kind of safe here.

Van looked up and found himself watching the back of Raven's head. Their hair was almost identical, but Raven's swooshed side to side whereas Van's bounced in spikes. Van had the sudden urge to run his fingers through Raven's hair again.

'_Whoa, gotta lay off the papaya_.'

"Hey Raven, are we almost there? I am incredibly impatient after all."

"We're here," Raven said softly as he brought the zoid to a halt.

The lid of the cockpit raised, and the two boys jumped out, Van with a bit of a stumble due to his sore ribs.

"What is this place?" Van asked as his eyes widened.

In front of them stood a dilapidated home, complete with an observatory on the roof. In fact, ivory covered most of the structure, and what wasn't covered by the moss, was covered by rust or dust.

"My home," Raven answered before leading them inside.

Thomas tapped his fingers against the Dibison's controls, watching through a pair of binoculars as Raven, Shadow, and Van entered the broken down structure. The plan was if Van was in trouble, he would say the code word "Papaya" into a hidden microphone beneath his clothes, which had been switched on by Van while he was in the Genosaurer, and Thomas would storm the building to save was just outside of the zoid's tracking range, and far enough away so he would not be detected by Shadow, but could still watch over Van. On the other end of another mic was Major Herman, who could only hear Thomas's voice, not Van's.

"Hero's inside," Thomas voiced into his own microphone in the zoid's consul.

"Got it, T.S. Keep us updated," Herman's voice replied.

Van followed Raven into a room that looked about as ancient as Dr. Dee. Pressing a button, Raven gestured as the lights flickered on, and Van's eyes fell on a pod that mirrored the ones he had found Zeke and Fiona in. From where he stayed in the hallway, Shadow growled. The pod was broken, and there were still a few shards of glass left on the floor.

"My parents discovered Ambient when he was still in his unconscious state. However, when they brought him back to consciousness, he killed them, and would have killed me too had I not been rescued. I should have killed him before he could have even woken up, but I was too young and confused. After the accident, I was afraid of zoids, and wanted nothing to do with them. That is, until your father took me in under his wing. He showed me that zoids could be used for good and could be my friends. I didn't really believe him. After Prozen killed him, he took me in under his wing seeing the potential deep inside me. He gave me Shadow and told me that he would help me bring about the devastation Prozen wanted.

When I was young, before the Ambient accident, my father used to take me onto a balcony on the other side of the house. We would spend hours gazing up at the stars. I've always found comfort and safety in looking up at the stars at night...which probably helps explain why I love the dark and why I have such a connection with an organoid named Shadow. I still believe that had your father lived to raise me as a son, he would have shown me a light of happiness in my dark world...and maybe I could have shared that light with you in your world, Van."

Raven leaned against the wall and looked at Van expectantly, but Van was too busy taking in everything to respond.

"I'm still not sure why I'm showing you this place," Raven continued on. "The house should have been torn down years ago. There are no towns around here for miles...but I couldn't let this place be destroyed. I may be a product of destruction, but I could never destroy what once was a home to me."

Van was silent as he walked over to the pod and gently ran his hand along its dusty machinery.

"For Zi's sake, Van, are you just going to stand there and not say anything?"

"I think I understand you now, Raven," Van whispered, feeling the cool metal beneath his hand, never turning around. "You want to find a light out of the darkness." Van looked over his shoulder and their eyes met. "Right?"

Raven shifted his feet but nodded.

"And you think that I, being the definition of happiness and kindness, can help you find this light?"

Again, Raven nodded as his eyes fell to the floor, feeling somewhat embarrassed. He wanted Van's help, but he couldn't help but feel this was just another reason why Van had and knew every answer to every problem.

"Hmm," Van nodded as he looked back at the pod. "This house could be your home again."

"The memories and fears are too great. As long as Ambient and Hiltz roam free, I can't stay here."

"Then we'll capture them," Van replied as he turned around to face Raven. "We'll stop them once and for all, and you can come back here, restore this house to its former glory, and move in here with Shadow. You can start a new life again."

"It's not that simple," Raven sighed as he slumped down. "Hiltz has such great power. Look at the way he used his organoid's power to control those sleeper zoids and attack you! The fight against him won't be easy."

"So you're certain it was him who attacked me," Van amused. "Raven...if you always assumed it was Hiltz and fear him and his power, than why did you bring me here? Why continue our original plan to fight him?"

"Because the fight may be impossible for me, but for the Hero of Planet Zi, nothing is impossible. You were strong enough to defeat me, you were strong enough to defeat Prozen, you can stop Hiltz."

"You have faith in me," Van observed. "Yet you are jealous of me and want me...what exactly do you want, Raven?"

Raven tilted his head, and his bangs swept in front of his eyes. "You feel the strings pulling us together, don't you Van?"

"I don't know if I would necessarily say that they're pulling us together, but there is a reason why you were there to save me from that ambush. I don't usually believe in fate or destiny, or any of that stuff really, but there is some sort of powerful bond between us. I mean, let's be real here for a second. If what you said about my dad was true, which I believe it was, than you and I could have been raised as brothers. Than there never would have been an rivalry or violence between us. It's crazy to think of you in a position as anything other than my enemy. Yet you healed me when I was hurt, and kept me hidden from Hiltz. I have to ask you why you did that."

Raven shrugged against the wall as he gripped his arm in uncertainty.

"I don't know really...I guess a part of me always needed to be forgiven for what happened to your dad, and I guess I figured that by me healing you, that would make up for me hurting your dad."

"But why did you come onto me back in the cave?"

"I don't know, okay?" Raven shouted as he looked from Van back to the floor, his eyes searching for an answer. "I was emotional and upset and scared. I don't want to be alone forever. I want to find that _someone_."

"What about Reese?"

"She's...not my type."

"Why? Cuz you don't like girls in that way?"

Raven's eyes snapped up to meet Van's with a look of pure fear and shock.

Van held up his hands as he gave a light chuckle.

"Hey, calm down. I'm not going to tell anyone so don't worry." The thought that Thomas might be listening in on the other end was far from Van's mind at this moment. "I'm not judging you for liking guys, I'm just asking if that's the case."

"Prozen was ashamed of me for it," Raven admitted. "He told me I was disgusting and that I was a disgrace to everything that he was trying to accomplish. He told me I would never find the love I was looking for because people like me...people like me don't live long enough to find that love." Raven's body gave a tremble as he whispered, "He was going to kill me in the end if I didn't at least pretend to like girls. He said it would ruin his image and reputation if word got out that one of his top soldiers was a gay."

"I don't think any less of you for it," Van replied softly as he turned to fully face Raven. "In fact, I think higher of you for coming out and admitting it to me. Being gay is nothing to be ashamed of."

"Than why do you hide it from _your_ friends and family?" Raven shot back.

Van's eyes widened briefly as he rubbed the back of his neck and bit his lip.

"I don't make it obvious, do I?"

"No," Raven said, shaking his head. "But I did always wonder why you never openly made any advances on Fiona after she exhibited such devotion and attraction for you. She's beautiful, and there are plenty of straight men who would love and desire her, so I could never understand why you two never made things...official."

"I pretend that I put the Liger and Zeke before her so that way she thinks I'm just selfish and obsessed with zoids. It would break her heart if she knew the truth, but I think she's slowly figuring it out. Besides, when she does finally realize the truth, she will have Thomas's shoulder to cry on, and the two of them will finally get together. The only ones who really know about my sexuality are Irvine, Colonel Krueger, Dr. Dee, and Moonbay. I told Irvine when I first figured out I was gay when I had a small crush on him. He helped me though it and showed me it was okay, but he's straight and into Moonbay, and I got over him. I told 'Bay when she kept asking me why I wouldn't ask Fiona out, and Krueger and Dr. Dee both guessed it."

"Why are you telling me all of this?" Raven asked.

"The same reason why you showed me your house," Van explained as he smiled at Raven, stepping closer to the boy. "Because somebody deserves to know the truth in case one of these days the threat is too great for me to defeat."

"But why me?"

"Because you're the only other gay guy I know who would understand what it feels like to be pressured to be something you're not. I know in my heart that it's okay to be who I am...and I want you to know that it's okay for you too. When Prozen was defeated...a lot of his ideas and beliefs were defeated too. And I want you to know that."

Raven was at a loss for words. In the same day not only had he been forgiven by Van Flyheight for Van's father's death, but now the same boy was telling Raven that it was okay to be gay? Raven was shell-shocked.

"I've noticed also that when you're overly upset or don't know what to say, you tend to react in outbursts. I hope you're not going to try to make out with me or anything," Van joked as he rubbed his neck sheepishly.

"Not unless you want me to," Raven smirked as he winked at Van.

Van felt his pants start to grow tight again as he laughed awkwardly and punched Raven lightly in the shoulder. "I think I'll pass this time. Did you want to show me the balcony?"

Raven gave that genuine smile again, and led the way out, leaving the bad memories behind him.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

Hiltz peered through the scope of the Death Stinger at the house in the distance. Focusing in, he saw three figures appear on the balcony. Very soon he would get his revenge on Van Flyheight for ruining so many of his plans beforehand. Looking at Raven, Hiltz gave a sigh. That boy had potential, but because he had rescued Van and healed him, Raven had to be brought out of the picture as well. First, Hiltz would need to take out the organoid Shadow in order to prevent Raven and Van from escaping. That wouldn't be a problem. Hiltz smirked as he licked his lips. Not now, but soon, very soon would he attack...

Raven led Van to the edge of the balcony, where he swept his hands across the dusty railing.

"It's been such a long time since I've stared up at the stars like this," Raven commented as he gazed up. "It feels right being back here."

Van nodded in understanding as he moved to stand beside Raven. The whole being on the balcony thing was kind of romantic, and it probably would have made Van feel uneasy had he been here in the past with Raven. But after everything that had happened, and him coming out to the boy, Van felt kind of at ease being here with Raven, knowing that nothing was going to harm them in that moment.

"Oh, you must be famished! Here, I grabbed one for you before. I've heard they're your favorite," Raven said as he took out a hidden papaya from his pocket.

"Thanks man," Van grinned as he easily caught the fruit and began munching away. "Whoa, this is the best thing **ever**!" Van made sure not to use the secret word.

"Haha, glad you like it," Raven laughed as he turned back to the stars. "Can I ask you something?"

"Shoot," Van said as papaya juice dripped out of his mouth.

Willing himself not to lick the juice up, Raven tore his eyes away from Van's face and asked, "Where do we stand now?"

Thankfully Van wiped the juice off with his wrist as his face twisted into that of confusion.

"Hmm, well, I don't think I can actually call you my enemy after all that has happened. But calling you my friend would just seem really weird and messed up. How about we consider each other...frenemies?"

"What a ridiculously gay thing to say," Raven replied with a straight face before Van burst out laughing. Raven found that he loved the sound of Van's laugh.

"You know, I'm really glad I came out to you," Van said after he had calmed down from laughing. "It's strangely reassuring to know that I don't have to carry that burden alone anymore. I mean yeah, I told a few of my friends the truth, but for me, it's different telling you the truth than it is them...why do you think that is?"

Raven shrugged. "Maybe because you're finally realizing you want me."

Van laughed again as he rolled his eyes and took a last bite out of the papaya. "You're dreaming."

"Maybe I am," Raven whispered after a moment, giving Van his full attention.

Van paused in his chewing and turned his face towards Raven's, swallowing awkwardly as he stared at the boy in wonder.

Van was about to ask Raven what he meant when suddenly Shadow's head perked up and he gave a growl.

"What is it Shadow?" Raven asked as he looked out into the distance.

There was just enough time for a sparkle to appear in the distance before Van shouted, "DUCK!" and jumped onto Raven, pushing the boy to the ground as an explosion hit the house.

As more shots fired, Shadow moved towards Raven to protect him when suddenly a blast hit the organoid, sending him flying into the wall of the building.

"SHADOW!" Raven shouted as Van pinned him down with his body.

"Don't move!" Van shouted back as more shots attacked the balcony. "PAPAYA!"

"Van, this is no time to be talking about -" Raven's voice cut off as Van lifted up his own shirt to his mouth and started screaming 'papaya' into the microphone.

Raven's eyes widened in horror as he stared up at Van in shock. "You were wearing a wire this whole time?"

Van's eyes widened too as he realized what Raven was thinking.

"Yes, I was, but not for the reasons that you think -"

"You son of a bitch!" Raven shouted as another blast hit the balcony where they were laying directly, causing the balcony to begin to crumble. "ZEKE!" Van shouted as the balcony broke below them. Instantly there was a flash of silver as the organoid appeared out of nowhere and engulfed Van, throwing Raven onto its back, and flying away.

"You're not getting away that easily," Hiltz muttered as he fired more shots, trying to lock onto Zeke. However the organoid was too fast. Zeke flew to where the Liger was standing next to the Genosaurer. As Zeke dropped Raven into the Genosaurer's cockpit, and Van into the Liger's, Van heard Raven shout out over the communications system, "I swear Van Flyheight, when I stop Hiltz, I'm coming after you for lying to me, you bastard!"

"I didn't lie to you, Raven! I didn't know our conversation was going to get that deep, I promise I wasn't wearing a wire to betray you or anything!" Van shouted as he brought the Liger to life and sped it off towards Hiltz.

"SHADOW!" Raven shouted.

When the organoid didn't merge with the Genosaurer, Raven sighed and began piloting the zoid in Van's wake. "Looks like I'm doing this without him."

"Look Raven, I'm sorry for all this, but we need to work together to stop Hiltz!" Van cried out as he got the Death Stinger in his sights.

"Why should I trust you now? If anything, I should destroy you first, and then stop Hiltz! After all, I am just a machine of destruction," Raven snarled as he fired a shot at the Liger from behind.

"Raven, I'm sorry about this, but we need to work together!"

"Van, what happened?" A small voice asked from behind.

Spinning around in his seat, Van was shocked to see Fiona sitting in the backseat like always.

"Fiona? What the hell are you doing here? This wasn't part of the plan!"

"She's here too? Oh great, now it's just one peachy reunion isn't it?" Raven spat. "Go on, Van! Tell her the truth while you're at it! If you want to prove to me I should still trust you, tell her how you feel about her! Or did she hear the truth already over the secret microphone?"

"Van, what's he talking about?" Fiona asked shakily as the Liger avoided shots fired by the Death Stinger. "I couldn't stay behind knowing you were in danger, Van."

"I wasn't in any danger when it was just Raven and I!" Van shouted back. As the Genosaurer began attacking the Death Stinger, Van continued, "And nothing Fi, it's not time for that now!"

"Oh, on the contrary Van, I think now is the perfect time!" Raven shouted as he fired more angry shots at Hiltz. "And besides, just who exactly was listening in on the other end of that microphone if it wasn't Fiona?"

"It was me," a voice replied as the Dibison rounded the corner. "I'm the only one besides you, Van, and Shadow who knows the truth, Raven. And for the record, I don't hate either of you for it. Herman only knows what information I relayed back to him, and the only thing I told him was that I was going in to help you with the Liger's help."

"What truth? Van, Thomas, what's going on?" Fiona cried out as the three zoids formed a line against Hiltz.

"Go on, Van, tell her. She deserves to know, doesn't she?" Raven taunted as the three zoids began targeting the Death Stinger.

"Van?" Fiona asked, fear sneaking into her voice.

"I hate to interrupt this bickering, but I would appreciate it very much if the four of you would simply cease moving and allow me to kill you," Hiltz's voice rang out as he began preparations for his most infamous attack.

"Van, he's going to use his charged particle attack!" Thomas shouted as he fired shots, which were easily deflected by the Death Stinger's shield.

"Van, I can't help you if I can't trust you!" Raven also shouted.

Van looked from Fiona's pleading face to Hiltz's Death Stinger, to Raven's face on his screen. Van gave a deep sigh as HIltz's Death Stinger prepared to fire its master attack.

"Fiona, I can't love you because I'm gay."

What happened now happened in a relative Hiltz fired his ultimate attack, Thomas fired a Megolomax in response to counter the attack. Van piloted the Liger up into the air with a battle cry, and drove the zoid down onto the Death Stinger, whose shield had been disabled in order to allow Hiltz to fire his attack. As the Megolomax struggled to overcome Hiltz's blast, Raven also sent out one of the Genosaurer's electric blasts, assisting the Dibison in counter-measuring HIltz's attack. And as the Genosaurer and Dibison's blasts met Hiltz's, the Liger broke Hiltz's shield and speared the zoid.

"No, this can't be happening! You were all supposed to hate each other!" Hiltz shouted as his zoid was attacked.

"Love overcomes shit like fights," Raven muttered as he moved the Genosaurer forward, overpowering the Death Stinger's ray.

"Ambient, I need more power!" Hiltz shouted as the zoid growled an agreement.

"Raven, without the help of Shadow, we won't last that long!" Thomas shouted.

It was true. With the Death Stinger connected to an organoid, and Raven's Genosaurer without Shadow, it wouldn't be long before HIltz got the upper hand and overpowered them.

"SHADOW!" Raven shouted.

Simultaneously, Van's Liger continued to slam down on the Death Stinger, attempting to disengage the enemy's attack.

"Oh no you don't," Hiltz muttered as he aimed a spare cannon at the Liger to fire an attack.

Van quickly side-stepped HIltz's attack and drove one of its blades deep into the cannon, proceeding to turn the Liger sharply and rip off the zoid's cannon.

Ambient growled as one of its sources of firepower was ripped off of the zoid. Suddenly the Dibison and Genosaurer began sliding backwards.

"He's overpowering us!" Thomas shouted as he struggled with his controls. "The Dibison isn't used to a prolonged Megolomax attack like this! Raven, we need Shadow!"

"He's out of commission!" Raven shouted as he said a silent prayer.

'_Come on Shadow.'_

Van spun the Liger around to the back of the Death Stinger and prepared to give it another go.

"I'll end this," Van muttered darkly.

Hiltz looked out of the corner of his eye at the Liger. Suddenly he had an idea. It was a risky one, but it was one he was willing to take nonetheless.

"Ambient, I'm going to spin this baby onto Flyheight. Can you take care of the other two quickly?"

Ambient growled and Hiltz smirked.

This would be over soon enough.

All Shadow saw was darkness. He could hear voices calling for him, but he couldn't see them or respond. All of the voices were blending together, and it was hard to make out what each individual voice was saying. All he knew was that his name being spoken.

Focusing on one particular voice, Shadow recognized it as Prozen's.

"This is Shadow. He's yours if you can tame him."

Shadow smiled softly at the memory. That had been the first day he had met Raven, and the two had been inseparable since.

Another voice came to his mind as his body began to stir.

"I hate zoids...I hate them and I hate you."

Raven had once told him that. It seemed like so long ago since Raven hated zoids. Shadow wondered what had changed in the boy?

"Zoids aren't weapons to be used in a war! They're supposed to help humanity and to be free creatures used for good!"

Ah yes, it had been that boy Van Flyheight who had changed Raven's outlook on life and zoids.

Shadow smiled again as he began to stand in the darkness. His master...no, his best friend had changed thanks to meeting Van Flyheight. Shadow's head tilted as he heard a voice calling for him.

"Van? No, it was...'

Instantly Shadow's eyes shot open and the darkness cleared as he heard Raven's voice calling for him. Shadow looked around as he stood up completely. He was standing in the rubble of the balcony of Raven's old house. Looking ahead, Shadow saw his best friend's zoid fighting with a Dibison, trying to overpower the Death Stinger while the Liger hit it from behind.

'I have to help them,' Shadow thought as he tried to open his wings. One of his wings was badly injured, but Shadow couldn't worry about that now.

He had a friend to save.

"Raven, we're not going to last much longer!" Thomas shouted as the controls of the Dibison started frizzing out under the pressure of the Death Stinger.

"Just a little bit longer!" Raven shouted as the Death Stinger slid them back even further, closer to Raven's old home.

"Hang on guys," Van shouted as he charged the Liger forward with a shout.

Suddenly Hiltz smirked and swung the Death Stinger around, changing the path of his charged particle attack from the Dibison and Genosaurer to the Liger. The charged particle attack hit the Dibison in the attack, wiping out its Megolomax, and swiftly cutting through the Dibison's legs as if they were paper. Thomas screamed as his zoid crumbled to the ground.

"Thomas!" Fiona shouted from the backseat of the Liger. Up until now, she had just been silently watching, taking everything in, but she couldn't stand the thought of losing her Lieutenant.

"What?" Van shouted as he dove the Liger away from the attack just in time. The Genosaurer's attack hit the Death Stinger just as the Death Stinger brought the charged particle beam around in a full rotation to meet the Genosaurer's attack head-on again.

"That's impossible!" Raven shouted.

"That's the power of my organoid," Hiltz smirked as he rammed the power lever up to its fullest.

As the charged particle beam fired its full power onto Raven, the Genosaurer was pushed even farther back as the distance between the Death Stinger's attack and Raven grew smaller.

"I'm going to die," Raven thought as he watched Hiltz's attack grow closer.

From out of the blue, Raven looked up sharply as he heard a growl as his organoid merged with the Genosaurer. Instantly the controls surged to life, and the charged particle blast emitted by the Genosaurer was able to pour more power into pushing Hiltz's attack back towards him.

"Shadow! You're alive!"

'I couldn't let you have all the fun alone,' Shadow grinned as the Genosaurer gave a roar of life.

"So your organoid returned to its master after all? Well it doesn't matter. Ambient is still stronger than any of your organoids!" Hiltz shouted as he gave a cry.

"Shadow, stop him!" Raven shouted.

Shadow smirked as he gave the zoid the boost he needed.

"Thomas, can you still fire another Megolomax?" Raven shouted.

"I can try. I've never fired more than two at a time before!"

"Do it!"

The Dibison gave a groan as it fired another Megolomax, combining itself with Raven's charged particle cannon's attack, opposing HIltz's attack.

"What?" Hiltz shouted as the blast surged forward, pushing Hiltz's blast back at him. "No!" the criminal shouted as the Liger jumped high into the air and crashed down onto the Death Stinger. The aerial attack was just the distraction Raven and Thomas needed as they put more into their attack, watching as their blast surged forward and hit the Death Stinger.

"No!" Hiltz shouted as the attack hit the zoid, completely destroying Hiltz's charged particle cannon. "This isn't over!" Hiltz screamed as he tried to bury his zoid underground.

"You're not getting away that easily," Raven muttered as he called his organoid's name once again.

Shadow laughed as the Genosaurer fired another attack on the Death Stinger, singing the top of the zoid just as it disappeared into the ground.

A few moments of peace went by as the zoids stood around, recovering.

"I guess...we won," Thomas replied as he opened the cockpit of his Dibison and hoped out.

"Yeah," Van agreed. "Guess we did...Ambient's strong, but he wasn't evenly matched what with two Guardian Force members and two organoids against him." It was at that moment that Van remembered Fiona. Slowly he turned around to regard Fiona. "Fi...?"

The blonde was sitting in the backseat regarding Van with a curious look on her cace. The boy was surprised at how small she looked in that instant.

"Why didn't you ever just tell me the truth?" she asked quietly.

"I thought you would hate me for it," Van said honestly.

"I could never hate you Van," Fiona said honestly as she looked up into his eyes. "I wish that you had told me beforehand and not under such grave circumstances, but I'm proud of you for telling me...and it's okay. I still love you, even if I can't love you in that sense anymore."

"Soooo you don't want to kill me?" Van asked with a shaky laugh.

"No," Fiona smiled as she leaned forward and gave Van a hug. "You're my best friend."

Van grinned and gave a sigh of relief as he relaxed in the embrace.

"Thanks, Fi."

Raven opened up his cockpit and jumped down, meeting Shadow on the ground. Raven quickly ran forward and embraced Shadow. "You're the best, Shadow," Raven grinned as he held his organoid tightly. "I was worried I had lost you."

'You're not losing me that easily,' Shadow laughed as he rested his head on top of Raven's. Raven smiled and turned to watch as Van, Fiona, and Zeke appeared on the ground. The trio quickly walked over, and the group of friends stood around looking at each other in awe.

"You know this isn't over...Hiltz will be back. And next time our little stunt won't be enough to stop him," Thomas said matter-of-factly after a moment.

"We'll be ready for him when he does," Van grinned as he looked at Raven. "Together?"

Raven looked down from Van's open hand to Fiona's face and back to the hand before gripping it tightly.

"Together," Raven agreed.

"Fiona, can you call Moonbay and ask her to come pick me up? I don't think the Dibison can make it back to the base on its own."

"No problem," Fiona grinned as she moved to head back to the Liger.

"Oh, and Fiona?"

"Yes, Thomas?"

Thomas exchanged a smile with Van before turning back to Fiona, sucking in his stomach, and asking boldly, "Since Van can't be an object for your attention anymore, I would appreciate it very much if you would consider going on a date with me!"

Fiona looked at Van who gave her a shrug in a response.

"Well...I guess I could go on a date with you Thomas," Fiona smirked. "On one condition."

"What's that? I'll do anything for you, Miss Fiona!"

"Be gentle in your report to New Helic City. There's no reason why certain truths need to go into the report."

"Already took care of my wording," Thomas beamed as he gave Van and Raven a knowing look.

As the two blondes made their way to their specific zoids, Raven, Van, Zeke, and Shadow stood around.

"I'm sorry I mistrusted you," Raven blurted out after a moment.

"I'm sorry I wasn't fully honest with you," Van replied.

"I don't get it though. Why didn't Thomas use that mic to call in reinforcements?"

"Because then we wouldn't have had the privacy to do this if we won," Van whispered as he drew Raven in for a kiss. It started out gentle but took a different toll as Van's tongue licked against Raven's lips, asking for entrance. As their tongues battled for dominance, Shadow gave Zeke a wink, who blushed and turned away in a pout in response. When the two boys finally broke apart for air, Raven whispered, "Always the dominant one, hm?"

"Well I do have a reputation of being the hero go uphold," Van smirked with a wink.

Raven gave a genuine smile before his face twisted into a confused one. "Wait...so you and Thomas were willing to risk our lives just to avoid us getting caught in a kiss?"

"Wasn't it worth it?" Van grinned as he gave Raven a light peck before pulling the boy close to his chest. "I'm sorry about everything Raven. WIll you forgive me?"

"On one condition," Raven smirked. "Tell me what you truly want."

Van smiled as he gripped Raven tighter to him in an embrace as he pressed his nose into Raven's hair and whispered by the boy's ear, "I want you Raven. Always have, and I always will."


End file.
